Last-place Leafs win NHL draft lottery; Jets No. 2

9:27 PM ET

Brendan Shanahan’s job of rebuilding the Toronto Maple Leafs got a big boost after the last-place team won the NHL draft lottery. That puts it in position to take U.S. center Auston Matthews with the first pick.

With a 20 percent chance of winning the lottery Saturday, the Maple Leafs became the first last-place team since the Edmonton Oilers in 2010 to retain the position in the draft order.

Editor’s PicksDebate: Who really won the draft lottery?

Sure, the Maple Leafs won the draft lottery, but does that mean Auston Matthews should be looking for real estate in Toronto?

The Winnipeg Jets made the largest jump, as they moved from the sixth to the second selection. The Columbus Blue Jackets moved up one spot to third.

Also significant is that the Oilers didn’t win. Edmonton dropped two spots and will be picking fourth. The Oilers had the first pick in four of the previous six drafts and won the lottery three times.

The Vancouver Canucks slipped from third to fifth. The Calgary Flames dropped one spot and will be picking sixth. The order of the final eight teams stayed the same.

The draft will be held June 24-25 in Buffalo.

“We earned this the hard way. It wasn’t a whole lot of fun this year,” said Shanahan, the Maple Leafs’ president. “When you have an opportunity to pick first overall, it’s an important moment for the Toronto Maple Leafs. …

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